Barely five (5) months after we reported on how Tony Okowa, the Commissioner in Charge of Sports and younger brother to the State governor rained slaps on the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Festus Agas, for not treating his file, a similar incident played out last week Friday. The slapping saga this time is not within Governor Okowa’s cabinet but is now targeted at innocent Deltans who diligently work to feed their families as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the Governor, CSP George Onyise Efiezomor recently attacked a mechanic in his workshop for parking behind his car in a video seen by us.
According to an eyewitness, trouble started when CSP George Efeizomor who went to eat his native soup (Ofejuju) and pounded yam at a restaurant by House on the Rock Church along DBS road parked his car in a mechanic workshop belonging to one Mr Ola Coker who was said to have gone to test drive a customer’s car. Mr Coker on returning to his workshop discovered that someone had packed in the space he removed the customer’s car from and decided to park behind the car after several enquiries as to who parked in his workshop yielded no result. When the CSO returned, he became infuriated and demanded to know who on earth parked and blocked his car. Efforts by the owner of the workshop Mr Ola to explain that he was waiting for George to come and remove his car so he can do his work worsened the case as George who earlier introduced himself as the CSO to the governor and the son of His Royal Majesty, Emmanuel Efeizomor, the Obi of Owa and Chairman, Delta state traditional ruler’s council threatened to shot the mechanic and nothing will happen.
The CSO we learnt in his arrogance further instructed his Orderly to teach Mr Ola a lesson but the younger brother to the mechanic identified as Ema Coker who is a panel beater in the workshop intervened and told the CSO that instructing his Orderly to slap his brother was not the right thing to do. The CSO quickly descended on him with two heavy slaps before his Orderly gave his elder brother Mr Ola the beating of his life. He was beaten blind by the CSO before he was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, for treatment. Mr Andy Okeibunor, an air condition repairer in the workshop was not left out as his attempt to call the CSO to order was also met with heavy slaps and beating. The CSO immediately radioed for a special police unit comprised of 5 officers who were only identified by their red beret to pummel the poor artisan. “He say he be Obi of Owa pikin and nothing dey happen, say na Okowa dey send am. I vote for Okowa. I no know say na so e go be. End of the day, they carry me put for back of hilux, use leg march me for chest, say I no go see where dem dey carry me dey go”, one of the battered victim narrated. Another of his victim stated how the CSO threatened to shoot him and nothing will happen since he’s Okowa’s brother.
We further learned that Mr Andy was later bundled to the GRA Police Station, where he was handed over to the DPO without any written statement by the Red beret officers who we gathered are men of the counter terrorism unit (CTU) attached to Okowa. He regained his freedom after his friends contributed the sum of N10,000 (Ten Thousand Naira) for his bail on the request of the DPO.
The trio has since approached a Human Rights Lawyer with the hope that justice will take its full course as Deltans in their number condemn the act. Series of calls to Geroge were not picked. For over two hours, he kept our phone line on ‘busy’, while he answered other calls. He didn’t respond to SMS sent to him. When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Olisa Ifeajika responded that “there are things that are better ignored for goodness sake if one or two persons have altercation”. He promised to get back to us, which he never did before press time. The Governor could not be reached for comment on the action of his CSO as he was on a trip to the United States of America (USA) on invitation by Bills and Melinda Gate Foundation.